Solar Energy

Solar Energy (280 - 15072)
Study: Bachelor in Energy Engineering
Semester 2/Spring Semester
3rd Year Course/Upper Division

STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO HAVE COMPLETED:

Thermal Engineering
Heat Power Plants

Competences and Skills that will be Acquired and Learning Results:

In this course the basic ideas and calculation procedures that must be understood in order to appreciate how solar processes work and how their performance can be predicted. This includes the capability of analyzing the behaviour of radiation between surfaces, solar radiation and the effect of the atmosphere. Students must be able to determine the thermal behaviour of flat plates and other receivers, as well as the basics of pv panels.

A the end of the course the student must be able to:

1) Understand and evaluate problems related to applied renewable energies.
2) Evaluate the solar resource. Understand the nature of the radiation emitted by the sun and incident on the earth's atmosphere. To be able to identify the most important geometric parameters in solar energy and to use and understand solar data.
3) Evaluate the heat transfer by conduction, convection and radiation and other thermal engineering problems and to use all these abilities in the design of solar equipment. Design solar thermal power plants. understand the basics of O&M of this plants.
4)Identify the general characteristics of semiconductors, pv panels and related equipment. Understand the applications and methods to design pv systems.
5) Identify the main aspects of energy storage for solar energy

Description of Contents: Course Description

1. SOLAR RADIATION: Solar angles. Solar radiation. Solar resource.
2. RADIATION HEAT TRANSFER: Ideal surface radiation. Real Surface Radiation. Radiation between surfaces.
3. CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER: Flat plate. Internal Flow. Multimode heat transfer
4. SOLAR ENERGY COLLECTORS. Flat plate collector. Thermal analysis. Compound Parabolic collector and evacuated tube collector.
5. THERMOSOLAR POWER. Concentrating collectors
6. STORAGE. HYBRID SYSTEMS. INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES: SOLAR DESALINATION and SOLAR DRYING.
7. PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS. Seminconductors. Types of PV. Materials. Related equipment: power trackers. Efficiency.
8. PV Applications: Stand-alone/Direct-coupled/Grid connected system.

Learning Activities and Methodology:

Lectures, in which the main theory of the course is presented. To facilitate the learning of the theory, a
set of class presentations and notes will be delivered to the students together with a reference list of
basic text books.

- Practical seminars in class and computer room. These practical sessions will also serve to solve the main practical questions raised by the students about the main processes related to solar energy.

- All students will solve problems and/or work on projects intended to improve their knowledge and check their learning progression.

- In addition to the questions and problems solved in class, there will be tutorial sessions scheduled at the teacher's office.

Assessment System:

Two mid-term exams (partial examination): 30% of the final mark

Practical laboratory work: 20% of the final mark

Final exam at the end of the semester: 50% of the final mark. Minimum mark: 4/10

Basic Bibliography:

F.P. INCROPERA & DE WITT. FUNDAMENTALS OF HEAT TRANSFER. Willey.
John A. Duffie, William A. Beckman. Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes. Wiley. 2013
S.A. Kalogirou. Solar Energy Engineering: processes and systems. Elsevier.
Y.A. ÇENGEL & A.J. Ghajar. HEAT and MASS TRANSFER: Fundamentals and Applications. McGraw-Hill.

Additional Bibliography:

James L. Threlkeld. Thermal Environmental Engineering. Pretince-Hall. 1970